Holmgren said there was no timetable for Simmonds' return to the lineup.

Simmonds, who entered Saturday's game tied for the team lead in scoring with five points, was elbowed in the face by Washington Capitals defenseman John Erskine late in the first period of Friday's 3-2 loss and did not return. On Saturday, the NHL suspended Erskine three games for the hit.

"It's disappointing," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said before the game of losing Simmonds. "We certainly could use him in the lineup right now. His ability to score, his physical presence, the roles and situations and the minutes that he plays on our team, we'll miss him."

Rookie forward Tye McGinn, who replaced Simmonds on the team's top line Friday, alongside center Claude Giroux and left wing Danny Briere, started Saturday's game in that spot.

He's only 17 but he can see the ice so well and he moves the puck and goes to the open ice all the time, so I just think he's a player that is ready to play in the NHL. I'm really looking forward to coaching someone like this.

— U.S. National Junior Team coach Ron Wilson on Auston Matthews, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2016 NHL Draft